


Surprise

by Leni



Series: Rumbelle Meme - Fluffy Fluff McFluff [10]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 17:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8499355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leni/pseuds/Leni
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin cannot find any of his favorite ties.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AnnieVH](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieVH/gifts).



> Prompt: ties

“Belle?”

Rumpelstiltskin knew better than to open the bathroom door while his wife was taking a shower. He risked either ruining his attire with the cloud of steam that would swamp him if he so much as cracked the door open or, even worse, that a draft of cold air sneaked in and hit Belle.

Instead he knocked again, then chuckled when Belle shouted back, “Breakfast’s on the table already!”

Whether it was a leftover from her days as his maid, or an instinct when it came to the relationship between men and women, Belle did hold onto the old adage that the best way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

In their case, it was lucky that Rumpelstiltskin treasured her wish to take care of him over the actual results. Much as he loved her, not even he could term as edible most of the meals that left her stove.

Breakfast, though. That was simple enough.

Orange juice. Toast. Maybe some freshly ground coffee if Belle had woken up in a good mood and decided not to punish him for being the only one who could still consume caffeine. It was a promising prospect.

It would have to wait for a minute, though.

He knocked for a third time, then raised his voice and wrapped a small reinforcing spell around the sound. Just enough to make sure it was clear over the sound of her shower.

“Sweetheart. Have you seen my blue tie?”

There was a pause. Then the sound of water hitting the linoleum floor stopped. A crinkle of plastic followed; Belle pulling the shower curtain to a side since magic wouldn’t help her make her voice louder. “You mean the dark blue, the striped blue, baby blue, blue and black, or the navy blue with gray dots?”

Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth to answer, but frowned and thought it over for a second. “Actually,” he said in bemusement, “any of them.”

A few moments passed before Belle answered.

“Hm. Know what? Why don’t you go on downstairs and start with your breakfast,” she proposed. “The pawnshop opens half an hour before the library, so you need a head start. I’ll be out in a minute and change. Will look into my side of the closet just in case your ties got mixed up with my things”

It was on the tip of Rumpelstiltskin’s tongue to retort that magic could take him to work in an instant, but luckily his brain stopped him in time. Belle might appreciate the use of magic where it was needed, but not when a simple matter of planning ahead would work too. 

“Thank you, dear,” he said instead, backing away and toward the hallway, his fingers fidgeting absently with his collar.

He was already planning to expand Belle’s closet into a walk-in to avoid future mix-ups, when he stopped in his tracks at the sight of what awaited him on the kitchen table.

No juice. No toast. No sign of coffee.

And still he forced himself not to whisk himself upstairs and pull Belle into his arms, just to whisper a litany of wholehearted thank yous in her ear.

“Surprise,” his wife’s soft voice broke in from behind him.

Rumpelstiltskin turned around, taking in her form wrapped in a thick towel, her hair still wet and clinging to her neck and over her shoulders. “Belle…” he managed, his voice tight with emotion.

On the table, there was a small picture in black and white, just a little bigger than the palm of his hand. If it had been left by itself, it probably would have taken Rumpelstiltskin longer to recognize it. But below it, in big capital letters, was a mixture of shades of blue and different fabrics, spelling three simple letters:

B-O-Y

“You’re sure?” he asked, his heart in his throat.

A son.

A part of him had yearned for a daughter, a little girl who would mark a whole new chapter in his life. But there was no room for disappointment now, when it was all joy at the thought of another little boy running around him.

Belle nodded. “Doc let it slip at yesterday’s appointment,” she told him, then rolled her eyes a little. “Apparently he never considered that we wanted it to be a surprise.”

Rumpelstiltskin cursed both the dwarf’s lack of professionalism and the sudden visit of his grandson which had detained him for almost half an hour, forcing him to arrive by the time Belle and Doc were in his office discussing the results of the sonogram and what she should expect in the next few weeks, rather than while the exam was being done as it had been arranged. It irked him a little, that he’d missed this development when he’d attended every other appointment. 

“I thought it would be difficult to tell yet?” he said, taking the sonogram with one hand, a big smile fixed on his face, and taking his eyes off it only enough to wave his hand and dress Belle into one of her favorite sundresses - and silently making the small arrangements so it would still fit her.

Belle gave him a look but didn’t protest. Instead she came to his side, looking at the picture as well. “Your son is a mama’s boy already,” she teased. “Only wanted to give the news to me.”

Rumpelstiltskin laughed. Then he put an arm around her waist, holding her tighter to him. “With such an amazing woman as his mother,” he said fondly, every word the truth, “who could blame him for picking you?”

 

The End  
07/11/16

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love.


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